Rubber mat



C. PL OAKLEY.

RUBBER MAT. APPLICATION man rus. 12, 1920( l. T2 T w 7 QQ 5 w i w @i L M n L 4f 1 E 5 i, R W.: l, y c N i TI NNIIw A 1 I. WIL if www; k MEW, N H I if M W i 7. it m` M I @2 www /f 'f (Il. if AW c. H. OAKLEY.

RUBBER MAT. APPucATIoN FILED FEB. t2, 1920.

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RUBBER MAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

lnatented July d, i922.

Application filed February 12, 1920. Serial No. 358,014.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CLrr-ronn H. GAKLEY, a citizen or" the United States, and a resident of the city of Trenton, county of Mercer, and State of New Jersey, have invented an lmprovement in Rubber Mats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mats for use in buildings, doorways, and the like, and it especially relates to woven mats wherein the separate strips employed are interwoven to produce a unit that is resilient and that will maintain its original design.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a flexible mat built up of separate pieces into any desired size and design, said mat to have its pieces or strips interlocked to increase its strength and to maintain its design, and to withstand great wear.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of a portion of the mat;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l showing recesses in the border;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-.-3 of Figure l showing the interlocking arrangement of the separate strips;

Figure 4 is' a top plan view of a part of the border;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure l;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4 illustrating one of the methods of locking the strips to the border;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of a part of one of the strips; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the strip taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Various f types of flexible mats are employed in buildings as floor coverings and as advertising mediums, or for other purposes. These mats after parts thereof are worn or severed in case of accident or otherwise, are required to be forwarded to the manufacturer for repair; or new mats are required for replacement.

The mat herein illustrated and described is a built-up mat which has its single members interlocked and so fastened together that they will withstand the wear and will maintain the original design; and further,

one of these mats may have one or more of the single parts or pieces replaced after wearing or after being cut or damaged. lit one part of the mat is worn more than another it may be repaired by substituting new strips. The single members or strips may be prepared or molded into uniform sizes and placed in stock, from which mats of any desired size or design may be formed. Further substitute strips may be taken from stock and forwarded to the user for substitution of worn or damaged strips.

Referring to Figures l, 2 and 3 ofthe drawings, a built-up mat is illustrated as having separate strips l, 2, 3, etc., lying parallel, and additional Vstrips a, 5, and 6 parallel to themselves but at angles to the firstw mentioned strips. The strips may be formed of any flexible material, preferably a resilient flexible material as, for example, rubber which has been satisfactorily utilized for this purpose. These latter strips are interwoven with the first ones. A border made up of sections 7, 8, etc., receives the ends of the strips and forms with the strips a complete built-up unit which does not have staples or brads to hold the various strips or pieces in position. Preferably, the mats are made square or rect-angular but they may be made of any desired shape and having any desired design or pattern. The strips herein illustrated are interwoven so that the cross strips are at 90 to other strips but it is understood that the method of weaving is not to be limited to having each strip 90 to another strip and that any particular dcsign may be woven by employing varied colored strips. The several strips are so formed that they will interlock with the strips running crosswise and have their ends designed so that after being positioned in the border they will form a locking means therewith. The mat as formed and as herein illustrated has both its upper and lower surfaces in planes which are parallel and the thickness of the mat itself at any point is uniform, with possibly the exception of the edge of the border, which may be beveled. This is clearly illustrated in Figure 3. The interlocking means is appreciated by the position of strips l and 2 co-operating with strip las shown in this figure; strip 4; being channeled as at 9 to receive portions of strips l, 2, etc.

A preferred design of the strip and the section thereof is illustrated in detail in Figures and 8. A satisfactory locking means has been obtained by having the strips channeled so as to receive portions of other strips. In the preferred form a double dovetailed design of channel is employed so that after the strips are woven together there will be a resistance to relative movements of the strips. The double. dove-tailed shape forms lateral protrusions which fit in the corresponding cut-away portions to oppose relative movement. For instance, channel 10 is herein shown as being of varied widths and having its axis parallel to the shorter axis of the strip. The width of this channel is substantially equal at the point-s 11 and then is increased to the points 12 from which' it again decreases. The channel preferably extend half the depth of the strip and are staggered or formed alternately from the top and the bottom of the strip as shown by channel 13 with reference to channel 10. In weaving the various strips together, channel 10 will receive a portion of a strip extend-` ing crosswise thereto and the channeled portion in the crosswise strip will receive the lower part of the strip so that the thickness at any point of the cross-over of any two strips will be equal to the genera-l thickness of the mat. Other designs of channels or depressions may be employed to prevent relative movements of the strips, such for instance as forming oblong slots adapted to receive protrusions on other strips. 'ItIowever, any desired form of locking means may be employed so that the strips may be prevented from having relative movement un der operation and so that asingle strip may be easily replaced.

The ends of the strips as received by the border sections have the fishtailed form 14C which is received by cut-away sections in the border. Reference to Figures 4L, 5 and 6 clearly discloses the particular formation of the cutaway sections and the holesthrough which the vends of the strips pass in order to form part of the means for holding the strips and the border sections together. Preferably, the holding means includes the openings in the border sections so that the ends of the strips are iirmly fastened thereto and successful holding is obtained by having every other strip inserted from the bottom of the border; the other strips being inserted from the top. For convenience, the parts of the border sections joining each other are held together by straddle brads 15 instead of employing interlocking protrusions.

There is herein illustrated in the strips a reinforcing member 16, generally of fabric, and employed forstrengthening purposes, but this may be substituted by any form of flexible material. Such reinforcing members may be Small chains, flexible strips of metal having openings therein, or the like. Mats which do not have reinforcing means such as fabrics 16 or similar strengthening means may be used and are often preferred.

The wear surfaces of the strips and border are illustrated as corrugated and are preferably so made to prevent slipping or to provide scraping means. If desired the surfaces may be formed with any types of protrusions and depressions or they may be smooth. The outer edges of the border are preferably tapered `but they may be made square.

Additions may be made to the mat in the form of plugs which are received by openings 17 so that a'particular design may be fullyV carried out, or that a definite formed word may be clearly set forth in the design of the mat. to a common fabric base which may contact with either side of the mat thereby permitting the mat to be reversed.

It will be understood that the embodi- Such plugs may be held ment of the invention herein described and shown in the accompanying drawings, may be variously modified, and that the present invention is susceptible of different embodiments. lIn so far as such modifications and embodiments of the invention come within the scope of the following claims theyare considered to be within the scope of the invention.

1. A mat comprising a plurality of separate strips woven together, said strips channeled to receive parts of other strips, the channels having varied widths throughout their lengths yand interlocking with portions of correspondingly varying widths.

2. A mat comprising a plurality of separate strips woven together, the 'ends of said strips having dove-tail shaped ends, and a border having recesses of dove-tail shape for receiving correspondingly shaped ends of said strips.

3. A mat comprising a plurality of separate strips Woven together, and a border for receiving said strips, having recesses Vof double dove-tail shape for receiving and holding the ends of said `strips and apertures through which the ends of the strips-extend to provide an interlock, alternate strips being linserted through the border from the top thereof. A

4C. In a mat the combination of a plurality of strips channeled parallel to the shortest axes thereof, said channels being alternately made from the top and from the bottom, the surfaces of said strips having grooves parallel to the longest aXes of said strips, said strips being interwoven, each strip litting into channels of other strips at the points of crossing, borders Vfor receiving the ends of said strips and being cut away to receive the protruding portions of said strips, said borders being grooved along their longest axes, and means for positively holding` the ends of said borders together.

5. ln a mat, a plurality of separate strips arranged in groups crossing at right angles to each other and mortised into each other at the points or crossing by double dovetail mortises, whereby relative movement in any direction in the plane of the mat is prevented.

6. In a mat, a molded strip of resilient material having channels with vertical walls formed therein alternately from the top and bottom surfaces thereof, other like strips tightly tting'in the channels of said strip, the sides of said strip at the channel portions thereof adapted to contact with the sides or` the channels in said other strips throughout the full depth thereof.

7. A mat constructed of a plurality of woven molded rubber strips, said strips interlocked by having channels in each of said strips at their crossing points permitting the strips to be held within each other to form a mat of uniform thickness.

. 8. In a mat, the combination of a plurality of strips, other strips woven with the first mentioned strips, portions of said strips out away to receive contacting strips to pre vent relative movements therebetween, border parts for receiving the ends of said strips, and means for positively holding said border parts together at their junction points.

9. In a mat, a plurality of separate strips woven together, and a border Jfor receiving the ends of said strips, said border and said strips having grooves formed in their surfaces.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication this 10th day oi' Februarv. 1920.

CLIFFORD H. OAKLEY. 

